The Final Fantasy
by AbyssKeeper
Summary: The world is on the brink of complete destruction but everyone is being twisted against the only people that can save it. AU, summary is terrible, eventual CloudXLightning, formerly known as Dawn of Darkness.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Final Fantasy 7 or 13

Several millenia ago, in the time spoken of in legends, four goddesses delivered one gift each unto the world of Gran Pulse. Minerva, goddess of life, granted the gift of knowledge so that every species could thrive. Cosmos, the goddess of harmony, created the beings known as fal'Cie to protect creatures and man from nature's wrath. Etro, the goddess of chaos, bestowed mastery over the elements to man and many creatures. Lindzei, the goddess of death, granted man freedom from their instincts so they could be more than the creatures they shared Gran Pulse with.

For many centuries the goddesses lived among man to ensure their gifts were truly gifts. Seeing that man was living in peace with the creatures and nature, they decided it was their time to leave. The goddesses promised to return when they were needed most and left these words for all man to remember:

_When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end_

_The goddess descends from the sky_

_Wings of light and dark spread afar_

_She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting_

The words of the goddesses confused man but they promised to never forget the words of the goddesses. Man lived on in peace, some followed the fal'Cie in order to help any that needed assistance, some decided to live alongside the creatures and preserve man's origin, others banded together to create a a unique place where man could thrive and expand. Peace resumed, every being on Gran Pulse continued to live in harmony with each other. Then, on the night of calamity on which the wind roared, the earth shook, and the water raged, the world changed.

From the sky a fifth being fell, a being of pure evil, The Formless One. With it, The Formless One brought seven lesser but powerful evils. Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Envy, Pride, Wrath, and Lust. These evil poured out from The Formless One as it fell and infected every being on Gran Pulse, corrupting, twisting, and changing both minds and bodies. All except Cosmos's fal'Cie, for they did not posses free-will.

When The Formless One impacted on the pure face of Gran Pulse, it was given a permanent scar. The ground soared skyward, the air grew as cold and cruel as The Formless One's soul, and the land was wiped clean of life as ice and snow spread outward from the scar. The fal'Cie severed the connection of land between the continents and the Northern region hoping they could stop The Formless One before anything truly terrible could happen. But they were far too late.

The followers of the fal'Cie now looked down on those who chose to live among the creatures as savages and those who wanted to create a haven for men as traitors to the will of the goddesses. Those who wanted to usher an age of men accused the fal'Cie followers as favored and weak and also looked down on those who lived among creatures as savages. The men who lived among creatures saw both the followers and the creators as weak as they both needed to gather in great numbers to survive. In the end, it was not just man that had been affected by The Formless One's evil. The creatures of Gran Pulse became savage and brutal.

Generations passed as the follower's, the creator's, and the native's, hatred towards each other grew. All cultural links and communication between the three groups of men had been severed. They started to seek ways to kill each other and eventually committed the final act of separation, titles were given to their lands. The followers of the fal'Cie became known as the nation of Cocoon for they were protected by the fal'Cie and awaiting the day of the goddesses return, to be reborn. The creators called themselves the Empire of Gaia for they drew their power from the earth and themselves. The natives were forced to be known as the Pulsian Tribes, neither Cocoon nor Gaia wished to be associated with the savages. Once the names were burned into the minds of every man woman and child, humanity committed a terrible crime, one without equal and no chance of being forgiven. War.

War raged for decades, drenching the land in blood and fire. The forces of Gaia were near unstoppable with the aid of the fal'Cie. Gaian armies swept over the land, slaughtering any who stood in their way. Victory was quickly falling into the hands of the Empire of Gaia but another unforgiveable crime was committed. The fal'Cie abandoned the Empire to aid the Pulsian tribes and Cocoon, Gaia was left fighting wizards and shamans with only swords and fists. In one decade, Gaia was pushed back to only one city, one stronghold, and they grew desperate. So desperate they committed treason against the goddesses that many had stopped believing in, Gaia called on The Formless One for power.

With the power of darkness flowing through the veins of many Gaian warriors, they ripped through the armies threatening to destroy them. However, after that battle, neither Cocoon or Gaia could continue fighting. A wordless agreement was reached between them, as long as both nations stayed within their borders, peace would ensue.

The next thousand years were filled with both minor skirmishes and terrible wars. Cocoon's borders never expanded but they were impossible to push back. Gaia's borders grew to immense sizes, pushing the Pulsian tribes out of their lands until the Gaian forces were stretched thin. Due to their thinned forces, the Pulsian's were able to repeatedly take back their lands and force Gaia out.

But now, in the present, the attempts at peace between Cocoon and Gaia are in limbo. Neither nation has started a fight in over fifty years. How long until they bottle holding the hurricane force of Gaia's hatred of Cocoon shatters and war once again rages?

**This is an idea I've had since I first beat FF13. It only came out now because I got a very bad case of writers block for my other stories, not to mention my recent purchase of Diablo 3**

**Please leave a review.**


	2. Act 1 Part 1

**This chapter is like a second prologue. It takes place four years before everyone's actual age, just letting you know so no one flames me for getting the ages wrong. Well all but one character is younger.**

**Warning:** Some mature themes in this chapter.

* * *

**Act I: **_Origins_

_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess_

_We seek it thus, and take it to the sky_

_Ripples form on the water's surface_

_The wandering soul knows no rest._

Swords clashed and feet stomped around the dirt arena as the young man tried to push back his opponent. His leather armor creaked and groaned as he tried to block and parry each attack but his opponent was far too fast for him. He lunged forward, only to have his opponent roll through his legs and kick the back of his knees. After falling onto his knees, his opponent pushed him down, kicked his sword away and rolled him over. The young man was now staring at the blue eyed, auburn haired girl that had just beaten him. She gave a soft smile before pointing both of her daggers, which were connected at the pommel by a long slim chain, at his face.

"Alright already!" the young man shouted in defeat "I surrender!" the girl let out a sigh before sheathing her twin daggers and turning away from the young man.

"And you call yourself a knight. How pitiful," the young girl said without looking at the young man.

"Come on now, Princess," A black haired man in white plate mail with a massive sword on his back said as he helped the young man to his feet "Zack only lost because you're smaller and faster."

"Thanks Angeal," Zack said to his mentor.

"Well maybe if the pup was smarter, he wouldn't get beaten so easily," both dark haired men turned towards the voice. The voice belonged to an auburn haired, blue eyed, slim man wearing dark clothes and his favorite red leather coat with black leather shoulders.

"Prince Genesis," Zack stated as he dropped to one knee. Angeal chuckled softly and the Princess turned to Genesis.

"Brother," the Princess said in a hostile tone "When is father returning home?" she asked in a slightly more friendly tone.

"How should I know?" Genesis said as he raised his hands, palms up, in an exaggerated shrug. The Princess huffed and stormed off into the castle.

"You and Shelke seem to be getting along just as good as ever," Angeal said sarcastically as he helped Zack with his armor.

"She is just sore because I refuse to introduce her to Sephiroth," Genesis said with a chuckle "Yet another victim to the General's inexplicable charm," Zack and Angeal burst out in laughter.

"Old or young, man or woman, none are safe from Sephiroth's charm," Angeal joked making Genesis laugh.

"So Angeal, care to do a bit of sparring before you take the pup back to the Knighthood?" Genesis asked with a smile as he started to reach for his red and black rapier that hung on his left hip.

"I would love to but it looks like she won't let us," Angeal pointed to where Shelke had stormed off not too long ago.

Walking towards the Prince, Knight, and squire was a woman. The woman had styled vibrant red hair, red armor across her shoulders, leather armor covering her bust and pelvis, clawed gauntlets, and leather thigh high boots with three inch heels, a red cape hanging from her waist, and a double ended sword that could double as a long bow. Her eyes were the same red as her hair, as were her thin and pointed eyebrows, and her mouth was narrow and always bent into a slight smirk. It was obvious she knew how attractive she was and how practically every man she walked by thought about bedding her. That is, if it was not for two very important facts.

The first reason why she was unmarried and no man other than Knights, Generals, or royalty even looked at her was quite simple. The woman with red hair controlled the prison here in Midgar, the capitol of Gaia, even if she spent most of her time being a member of the royal family's personal guard. The other reason why common men avoided even looking at her was, she was completely psychotic. Genesis constantly wondered how she had gone so long without spending time in one of her own cells.

"Prince Genesis," she said with a slight bow of the head "You are requested in ze throne room," The woman's thick accent made Genesis think of the creatures called vampires in fairy tales but he had no idea why.

"Thank you Rosso," Genesis replied "It was good to see you again Angeal. And thank you for teaching my sister how to fight," Genesis said over his shoulder to his oldest friend.

Rosso lead Genesis into the castle as Angeal and his squire, Zack, made their way towards the gate. Genesis calmly followed Rosso as he let his mind wander, which inevitably landed on the subject of the woman in front of him.

Many people called Rosso, the Prison Warden, a complete psycho or a sadist. Both were right in all accounts. Over the last few years Genesis had compiled quite a colorful collection of stories and rumors on Rosso from the nobles. The Gaian Prince spent a long time investigating which stories and rumors were true and which were false. Just as his mind inevitably landed on the stunningly gorgeous and scary Rosso, it started to retell every story and rumor Genesis knew about Rosso.

Rosso's parents always knew there was something wrong with their daughter. Every pet animal they got for her was found mutilated with a blood covered knife and little Rosso not too far away. She inherited the prison of Midgar from her father, a respected and nearly worshiped noble, when he was killed in a prison riot when Rosso was only fifteen. Rumors say Rosso was actually the one that slashed open her fathers throat on that day, or she was the one that let out the prisoners, and some rumors say she paid the prisoners to kill her father. After inheriting the prison, Rosso spent the next three years perfecting how to torture people in nearly every way from smacking to skinning, from breaking a toe to dismemberment. The three years after that, crime rates in Midgar dropped so low that prisoners from all over Gaia were sent to Midgar to be dealt with. That is not even the worst of what Genesis had found out about Rosso.

The Prince once heard a frightening story. While patrolling with some guards, a young man, no older than seventeen, made a rather inappropriate remark to Rosso. In response, Rosso broke and ripped off the boy's pinky and jammed a spoon into his eye. That story made Genesis realize not just prisoners were in danger from Rosso but there is one story that proves Rosso does have a very deep sense of justice. As it has been said, Rosso once had a prisoner that was a girl that had been arrested for trespassing on a noble's land. Rosso found out one of her guards had been raping the girl almost daily while two others acted as his lookout. The Warden gathered all her guards then used her clawed gauntlets to shred the rapists manhood and tear out the eyes of his accomplices in front of every other guard under her employ.

There are, however, two rumors circulating that undermine Rosso's integrity. The first rumor said that sometimes Rosso performs intercourse with the person she is torturing be they Gaian, Pulsian, young, old, male, or female. The other says that on occasion, Rosso will pleasure herself while bathing in the blood of her victims. Genesis never had and, most likely, never will find any evidence to support or refute these rumors so he just ignores them.

He had decided that, in the worst case scenario, he would make Rosso his wife to ensure his bloodline would continue.

"Lord Rhapsodos?" Rosso said to Genesis' attention "General Sephiroth is waiting inside for you," Rosso motioned towards the door to the throne room.

"Thank you Rosso. You may return to my sister," Rosso gave a shallow nod before walking off.

Genesis was glad he did not require any protection from the Tsviets, the royal family's personal guard. It would mainly be useless because Genesis' combat and magic skills were second only to Sephiroth and the High Priestess.

Pushing the doors to the throne room open, Genesis immediately saw his other old friend. General Sephiroth. Sephiroth was wearing his usual attire, long black leather coat, black leather gloves, pants, boots, white steel pauldrons, and the midriff belt bearing the Gaian insignia. Even though both Genesis and Sephiroth were twenty-one years of age, Genesis looked up to the General. Sephiroth was the head of the Gaian military, the best fighter in the entire empire, most likely the entire world, and everyone loved him as a hero.

Genesis was always very happy he had such great friends with such different backgrounds. Angeal, born in the small town of Banora in the far south of the Gaian Empire to a poor family but worked up enough money to travel to Midgar to become a knight. After joining the knighthood, Angeal met Genesis and was completely oblivious to the fact that his auburn haired fellow trainee at the time was the heir to the throne. As Genesis understood it now, Angeal was most likely to become the next chairman of the Knighthood. And Sephiroth. Eldest of the High Priestess' four sons, also trained to be a knight but left to pursue a military life. After being sent out to battle the Wutai separatist forces and having the General at the time completely botch the assault, Sephiroth took command and against all odds, ended the conflict victoriously. Since then he had been serving alongside Genesis' father in every battle. Sephiroth was put in charge of the entire military might of Gaia when he was only seventeen.

"Greetings General Sephiroth," Genesis said in his most official tone "I take it the mission against Avalanche was successful."

"Gen-" Sephiroth started but was interrupted by the door opening and Princess Shelke walking in.

"Where is my father?" Shelke all but roared but froze when she saw Sephiroth "Oh, uh, hi General," Genesis could see the slight blush rising into her cheeks.

"Oh Sephiroth," Genesis started in a mocking tone "You've even captured the heart of my nine year old sister. You must be so proud of yourself,"

"Listen-" Sephiroth tried to say again.

"So would you like to have a duel?" Genesis asked as he reached for his rapier "I've learned a new trick while you were gone,"

"Genesis!" Sephiroth shouted surprising both Genesis and Shelke "You need to read this," Sephiroth's gaze fell to the floor as he pulled a sealed envelope out of his coat and handed it too Genesis.

Genesis took the envelope and instantly noticed his name in his father's cursive writing on the front. He flipped it over and saw the wax seal with the royal crest in it and quickly broke it. Genesis pulled the letter out and read quickly.

_My dear children,_

_At the time I am writing this, I am at Death's door. The sickness I have had since your mother passed is now making it hard to breath and think. I know I will not live to see Junon so I requested an escort of thirty soldiers to stay with me until I pass and lay my body to rest on the peninsula south of Costa del Sol._

_Do not weep for me my children for I am to rejoin your mother and the goddesses. I will be patiently awaiting the day we are reunited as a family but do not let that day come any sooner then its meant to. All of Gaia will now be looking to you for guidance, protection, and happiness. Lead the people with a heart filled with compassion, a mind for logic, and soul of righteousness._

_Your loving father_

Genesis slowly looked up from the letter and let his hands fall to his sides. Shelke walked up beside him and took the letter. She read it over three times before letting it fall to the floor and running out of the room crying. Sephiroth stepped forward and placed his left hand on Genesis' right shoulder.

"Your father was a great man, Genesis," Sephiroth said without emotion "He may have been suffering but I know he was happy that you will be inheriting the crown," Genesis did not show any sign of hearing Sephiroth "I won't tell you to not grieve, I can't imagine losing my mother or any of my brothers. Just take it easy for a few days, no one is expecting you start ruling Gaia right now and the empire will survive until you are ready."

"Thank you, Sephiroth," Genesis felt a tear roll from his eye "I would like to be alone for now," Sephiroth nodded and started to make his exit.

When Genesis was alone in the throne room, he walked up the small set of stairs to the throne of the king and slowly sat in the majestic stone chair, which had a very comfortable cushion on it. Genesis slowly scanned the throne room and settled into the throne. So this was the king's view of this room, the former prince knew he would like the view. He closed his eyes and licked his lips before saying a quick prayer.

"Rest well father, I will honor your name, I will rule Gaia just as you taught me. Please guide me down the right path so I may continue the great Rhapsodos dynasty."

* * *

Sephiroth walked through the stone halls of the great Midgar citadel, the home of the royal family and their advisers. The General found it hard to believe that this was the same citadel that once had been the only thing standing between Cocoon and the very last group of Gaian citizens. It was harder to believe that Gaia had been able to rebuild its might after that. The General knew history is written by the victors but he assumed that piece of history may be rather embellished.

When he finally reached the tower of the citadel that was the home of his mother, brothers, and himself, Sephiroth made his way up to his mothers room. The silver haired General had long since admitted to himself that he hated his family. His mother constantly lied to and manipulated the other adviser and his family, the Shinra house, and her own children. Oddly enough though, Sephiroth knew he was his mother's favorite son. The younger three, Yazoo, Loz, and Kadaj, clearly displayed their contempt for Sephiroth being their mother's favorite, even if Yazoo was more subtle about it.

Yazoo, the second oldest of the family, fifteen years of age, aloof to the point of tuning out the world and second to Sephiroth in terms of allure. Loz, the second youngest, thirteen years of age, strongest for his age and most childish person Sephiroth knew making him think Loz was not fully developed mentally. And Kadaj, the youngest at twelve years of age and had nothing but hatred and rage in him. Although Sephiroth would admit that Kadaj was incredibly intelligent for his age.

Sephiroth opened the door to his mother's room and saw her standing by the window. He slowly walked into the middle of the room and gave a deep bow. Sephiroth noted that his mother was wearing her favorite dress again. It was red, very form fitting, with sleeves and black fur trim around the neck and down to the middle of the front which was mostly open. The dress was held closed at the pelvic area and left very little to the imagination, which greatly disturbed Sephiroth. Although he was curious as to how his silver haired, green eyed, and heavily tattooed mother looked barely any older than himself.

"Mother, I am back from Wutai," Sephiroth said, stating the obvious merely because it was proper to announce something like that to family.

"Ah, Sephiroth," his mother said as she turned away from the window "It is great to see you unharmed. I heard the king did not return."

"That is true," Sephiroth saw no reason to go into detail, his mother always inexplicably knew pretty much everything.

"I have a task for you," his mother said as she turned back to the window "A plague is starting to spread in the Nibelheim area," Sephiroth wondered how she could know that and remembered that she is the High Priestess of the Formless One, either she was lying to cover something up or she had a vision and was spot on "You need to go there and cleanse the land. I mean you alone, an army will bring the plague back here," Sephiroth knew she meant he had to burn the entire area.

"Right away, Mother," Sephiroth bowed again and left. The two reasons why Sephiroth obeyed his mother at all were it tarnish the image of his family if he disobeyed her and he just felt compelled to do her bidding.

The High Priestess chuckled once the door was closed. She thought about the vision she had before Sephiroth arrived. According to the vision a simple farm boy from the village at the foot of the Nibel mountains would rise up, unite the Gaian rebel group Avalanche with the Pulsian tribes and Cocoon, then lead the force against Gaia. The vision ended with the blond farm boy, the queen of Cocoon, and her own son, Sephiroth, fighting her, the High Priestess of the Formless One.

She laughed to herself again.

"No one can challenge me. I am Jenova, the High Priestess of the Formless One," Jenova laughed again, the title was just so amusing. It was so funny to her because not one person in the last eight centuries had questioned why the High Priestess was so powerful "Humans are so easy to deceive. People think the king rules this empire, it is I who rules this empire. The king is just a figurehead, someone for the public to blame if one of my plans goes wrong."

Jenova was aware that if the vision had any truth to it, the farm boy could prove hazardous to her. Which is why she sent Sephiroth to burn Nibelheim. Either kill the farm boy now or at the very least, make him hate Sephiroth so it blinds him to the truth. Both options looked promising and would ensure Jenova's success.

**So? How was it? Should I continue or pretend this story never existed? Please leave a review to let me know. Also, let me know if any mistakes slipped by me.**

**By the way, as you could probably tell, this story will be increased to M rating later on. I won't be holding anything back.**

**P.S. For Jenova, imagine Ultimecia (Dissidia model) without the wings, hair horns, and normal hands and feet.**


	3. Act 1 Part 2

The young squire, Zack Fair, and his mentor, Sir Angeal Hewley, rode their horses in silence. The Gaian Citadel at their backs and the upper class part of the city all around them. The citizens of the wealthiest region of the city gave the knights a friendly smile and sometimes a wave as they passed by, which the two knights always returned. Angeal turned to his squire and shook his arm gently to get his attention.

"That was the first time you've seen Madam Rosso, correct?" Angeal asked in his mentor tone.

"Yeah, why?" Zack replied.

"What did you think?"

"Well she is beautiful. Hard to believe what is said about her," Zack replied thoughtfully.

"I didn't ask your opinion on the rumors, Zack. I asked _your_ opinion on her. What did you notice about her?"

"Well she seems to like showing off her body," Zack had a sarcastic smile plastered on his face, which disappeared when he saw Angeal's serious expression "She looked anything but dangerous but I just knew that if she wanted me dead, there would be no stopping her."

"Do you see what I'm trying to tell you?" Angeal asked kindly, Zack shook his head "Appearances are not everything. You must learn to read a person's aura, learn to instinctively know when someone is a threat or not. We, the knights of Gaia, are keepers of the peace. When a crime is committed, it falls to us to judge who is innocent and who is guilty."

Zack nodded his understanding of Angeal's words and glanced around the area, vaguely noticing the road that lead to the slums of Midgar. Zack wanted to turn down that road and go visit the girl he met a few years ago but he wasn't sure how to ask his mentor. He turned to ask his mentor but Angeal was already giving him a friendly smile.

"I'll see you back at the Knighthood," Angeal stated before continuing down the cobbled street.

Zack steered his horse towards the other street and gave a light kick to its ribs. As Zack's horse plodded down the street he had traveled countless times, he thought back to the time he had first met the girl. It was three years ago, back when Zack had first been taken on as Angeal's student.

"_Come on Zack! You're slower than a fish on land!" Zack's good friend Kunsel shouted at him. They had spent the better part of the day racing across the rooftops of Midgar._

"_Yeah? Well you're about as smart as a dead one!" Zack retorted as he leaped across the gap between roofs._

"_So..." Kunsel trailed off as he looked around the area. The two mischievous youths had worked their way onto the roofs of the slum district and they both knew that the roofs here were shoddy, at best "First person to get to that tower?" Kunsel asked as he pointed into the distance._

_Zack looked over to where his friend was pointing and saw the tower. It was the steeple of a very old church to the goddesses, a building that had been abandoned for almost three decades, ever since the people of Gaia wordlessly agreed it was morally wrong to worship the goddesses that had forsaken the Gaian Empire. Zack was pretty sure the roof of the church was more than decrepit but that is what would make the last stretch towards the steeple fun. The black haired squire nodded at his friend and took off at a full sprint._

_For the entire race, Kunsel was right on Zack's heels. The two ran across roofs, jumped the gaps, and knocked several things to the ground as they raced. Both youths nearly fell through several roofs as well, and each almost lost their footing on a gap that was almost too wide for them. When they reached the the building adjacent to the church, they leaped at the same time and landed at the same time. Kunsel landed belly first on the slanted roof, Zack landed feet first but did not stop. The old wooden shingles splintered under him, letting him fall nearly twenty feet. All Zack knew as he fell was he heard Kunsel call out for him and someone give a startled yelp._

"_Hello? Are you alright?" Zack heard a very unfamiliar feminine voice ask "Hellllooo?"_

_The black haired squire realized the ground was much softer than he thought the floor of a church should be. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a young brown haired girl with bright green eyes. Zack admitted that she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen._

"_Well that proves it," Zack mumbled, earning him a confused look "Clearly I'm dead because I only see an angel," the girl giggled softly making Zack smile broadly._

"_I would say you're the angel," the girl replied, earning her a confused look from Zack "You're the one that fell from the sky," the girl pointed up at the hole in the roof. Zack looked to where she was indicating and instantly felt terrible._

"_I'm sorry about that, I'll help fix it," Zack stated as he stood up and finally noticed that he had landed on a bed of flowers._

"_Oh, don't worry about it. I don't live here, I just visit the flowers," the girl said with a smile "Aerith Gainsborough, by the way."_

"_Hm? Oh. Zack Fair, squire to Angeal Hewley!" Zack said proudly._

"_Who's Angeal?" Zack just stared at Aerith incredulously._

"_Zack! Come on man! You better be-" Kunsel shouted as he burst into the church but quickly went quiet as he caught sight of Zack, perfectly fine, and the girl "Oh. Well I guess I'll wait outside then," Kunsel muttered something inaudible as he turned around and walked out._

The black haired squire pulled on the reigns to make his horse stop before dismounting. He tied his horse to a fence post and made his over to the doors of the church he had stopped in front of. With a hard push, one of the large heavy doors slowly swung open, the old rusty hinges groaning in protest. Zack briefly wondered how Aerith was able to open and close the door several times every day. As he was closing the door two hands blocked out his vision.

"Guess who," the familiar angelic voice said cheerfully.

"Well a voice like that can only belong to my angel," Zack replied, earning him a giggle from Aerith. She took her hands away and Zack turned to her, staring into her bright green eyes.

As Zack stared into her eyes, he recalled something Aerith told him on one of the days they had spent together. Aerith mentioned that she was not like other girls and Zack, his curiosity getting the better of him, asked what she meant. For several weeks she refused to tell him but Aerith eventually broke down due to Zack's puppy eyes. It was then Aerith told Zack that she was a half-Cetra and Zack asked what a Cetra was. Aerith simply replied with saying she had no idea.

As he pulled the girl into a hug he looked over her shoulder and spotted another girl. She had long dark brown hair, a short white shirt, a short black skirt held up by a belt and suspenders, leather gloves, and boots that just went above her ankles. Aerith noticed Zack looking behind her and pulled away from him.

"Oh, yeah. Zack this is-"

"Hi. I'm Tifa, nice to meet you Zack," the girl said, cutting off Aerith.

"Where you from?" Zack asked with a curious tone "Your accent says you're not from Midgar."

"I'm from Nibelheim. I came to Midgar to continue my training with Master Zangan," Tifa answered.

"Zangan? I heard it's not easy to become a student of his," Zack said thoughtfully. If he remembered correctly, his mentor Angeal had been a student of Zangan.

"No, not all," Tifa replied with some pride in her voice. Zack nodded lightly in response.

"So how did you two meet?" Zack asked Aerith.

"Well I was giving out some flowers and Tifa asked me for directions. I already told her how we met."

"Oh," Zack groaned, he was not proud of how he met Aerith but glad that he did "So Tifa," he started, to change the subject "Anyone special waiting for you in Nibelheim?"

"Well..."

* * *

Far away from the Gaian capitol, Midgar, lay a massive range of mountains. The mountains formed one of many borders between the Gaian Empire and the Kingdom of Cocoon but neither nation would even dream of crossing that boundary. Paths through the mountains were narrow, winding, and extremely treacherous. Spikes made of stone protruded from every surface, were razor sharp and were strong enough to punch through the thickest armor crafted by human hands. But there is something much worse than the terrain, dragons.

The giant winged beasts inhabit the gnarled peaks along with other less dangerous creatures. Dragons have proved to be much smarter than the other creatures of the mountain range, maybe even more so than humans, but they have not shown any interest in leaving the mountain range. It has been rumored that there is one dragon that is superior to the others, stronger, faster, bigger, and far older, a king of dragons. Some stories say this dragon is even capable of human speech but none believe that.

Within Gaia, this mountain range is known as Nibel, throughout Cocoon they are titled as the Vile Peaks. At the foot of the mountains, on the Gaia side, rested the town of Nibelheim, a small farming town. The land surrounding the Nibel mountains was far more fertile than any other land but most people were too frightened by the thought of a dragon attacking to even consider traveling there.

This town is Sephiroth's destination, the town he was tasked with purging.

The silver haired general folded the map of the Gaian Empire before placing it in the pack that also held a whetstone for sharpening his blade, some medicines, and a first aid pack. It was unlikely he would need either medicine or first aid but it never hurt to be prepared for the worst. As he was busying himself with tying his three packs, two were for supplies, and his sword to the saddle of his large black war horse, which was named Nightmare, his superior hearing detected someone approaching.

"You're leaving again? But you just got back," a young girl said.

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder and saw exactly who he had been expecting. His mother's apprentice, Sakura, who was no older than fifteen. Today she was wearing a black leather coat, a dark blue shirt, a violet skirt, and black boots that stopped just below the knee. What he found to be very strange about her was she had the trademark silver hair and green eyes of his family, with the exception of slit pupils, but she was in no way related to him. Or so Jenova had stated. To Sephiroth's knowledge, Sakura was becoming a powerful magic user just like Jenova.

"Such is the life of a general," Sephiroth replied as went back to securing his packs. He would have made a remark about how his mother treated him like a weapon or a slave but as much as he considered Sakura to be one of his only trusted friends, he was unsure of where the girl's loyalties truly lay.

"Where are you going now?" she asked, innocently.

"I can't say, I am completing a task for my mother."

"Well," she would have told him be safe but Sephiroth was the biggest threat in Gaia and most likely the world "I pray you return swiftly."

"No need to pray, this is a very simple task," Sephiroth almost chuckled at how simple.

Without another word, he climbed onto Nightmare's back, and lightly kicked the horse's ribs to get him moving. Several minutes later, Sephiroth let out a sigh as Nightmare plodded down the cobblestone street. The journey would take two and a half weeks just to reach Nibelheim.

**A Few Weeks Later, Nibelheim**

"Do you actually believe those stories?" one boy shouted.

"What, are you chicken? You afraid?" another mocked.

"Come on, Cloud, stop being such a girl!" a third joined in.

The three boys were all seventeen years of age and were taunting another boy their age. He was blond with bright sky blue eyes and a bit shorter than the others. They were trying to get the blond to take part in their game, go up to the abandoned estate and get something from the cellar. There were countless stories about what happened to the family that had lived there and about some kind of evil that now inhabited the place.

"I can't do it today, I am needed on the farm," Cloud said to the others hoping to get them to go away.

"Don't worry about that. We'll cover for you," the first boy stated.

Cloud was running out of excuses. He did not believe the stories but he also did not entirely not believe them either. An instinct of his had always told him to never disregard a story about a place because there was always a reason behind the creation of the story.

"Fine! I'll go!" Cloud pushed past them and started towards the mountain. The abandoned manor was part way up the mountain, obviously placed to keep unwanted visitors far away. The blond teen knew it would take all day to get to the manor, get the 'something' to prove he had been there, and get back home.

When he reached the manor, he stopped and held his breath for an extended period. There absolutely no wind to carry any sort of sound so it was deathly quiet which was very unnerving for Cloud. Gathering his wits he set off towards the doors of the manor. The doors were large thick wooden doors made of oak, treated to withstand weather, and had a very ornate V carved into each of them. The V represented the family that had lived here and owned the town of Nibelheim at one time. V, the initial for the Valentine family.

The house of Valentine had been on the higher end of the Noble society and used to operate closely with the Shinra and Kisaragi houses, which were sworn enemies. The wealth of the Valentine family had come from owning most of the farming and mining towns from Nibelheim to Costa del Sol. Everyone in all of those towns loved the Valentine family because they were fair and would even pay to replace most tools needed for either farming or mining, they were the exact opposite of the Shinra family. Unfortunately, seemingly overnight, the entire Valentine family disappeared and the Shinra house usurped everything that they had owned. Shortly after, Shinra house exposed the Kisaragi house's plot to overthrow the royal family which lead to the war with the Wutai state. A war that lasted nearly thirty years. Currently it seemed like the only thing the Shinra did not own was Midgar.

Cloud pushed the doors open and hissed when the hinges groaned and squeaked loudly. The mayor of Nibelheim had banned anyone from coming up to the manor but Cloud lightly laughed at himself for thinking anyone down in the town would hear the doors being opened. As he walked into the foyer, the doors swung closed behind him, the hinges groaning and squeaking, and the doors clicking into place. The blond boy turned and saw a device of sorts mounted to the top of the doors and assumed that was why the doors had been closed in the first place.

He cautiously made his way through the dimly lit house looking for the entrance to the cellar. The whole time Cloud felt like he was being watched and kept glancing over his shoulder and repeatedly scanned whatever room he was in. When he finally found the entrance to the cellar he backtracked to find a torch and a flint. After lighting the torch, Cloud made his way down into the cellar and felt his mind starting to come apart at the seams. The darkness was crushing, the stillness of the air was suffocating, and the silence was deafening, only the sound of his footsteps and breathing were met his ears.

Before having to go too far into the crushing blackness of the cellar, he stepped on something that crinkled. Looking down and lifting his foot, Cloud saw a parchment with some writing on it that would be obvious to the others, that it was old and not his own writing. He slowly and gently picked up the parchment and folded it to make it fit in his pocket, then turned and ran as fast as he could out of the manor. As he made his way down the mountain trail, the sun slipped behind the twisted peaks of the Nibel mountain range making night fall sooner than it should on this side of the mountains. Cloud rounded the last bend in the path and felt everything in him freeze. He had a perfect view of absolutely everything in Nibelheim engulfed in flame.

Before he knew what he was doing, Cloud was sprinting down the rest of the trail. It took ten minutes to get back to the part of town where his house was but he arrived he froze once again. In the street, in a pool of blood, lay his mother. There were many other bodies scattered around but the blond boy's eyes only saw his mother. He slowly walked up to her and fell to his knees at her side, she was laying face up, staring blankly at the blotted out sky. Cloud gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, quietly repeating 'No' over and over again. Tears stung his eyes and started to fall. He was no longer aware of the heat from the flames all around him, the slight breeze, his mother's blood soaking through his pants, the stench of burning flesh, blood, and death. His eyes slammed shut as he tried with all his might to wake up from the night mare, but then he felt something cold and wet touch his chin.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a blade right in the center of his vision. His vision slid up the blade and took in every detail of the blade soaked in the blood of all the people of Nibelheim. The blade was long, very long, impossibly long, which could only be wielded by one man in the world. Cloud saw his black boots, coat, gloves, his silver hair gently swaying in the breeze, the emotionless expression on his face, and finally the bright green eyes with slit pupils. The blond hoped his eyes were deceived because it could not possibly be Sephiroth, the famous General, the Hero, standing before him.

Sephiroth stood staring at the kid with spiky blond hair for a few more moments. He could see where the tears had carved trails through the soot coating the boy's face and how much he wished this was all a dream. The General found it odd that there was no hatred or fear in the boy's eyes, just sadness and disbelief. Just odd, nothing worth spending any time thinking about. After that thought, Sephiroth lowered the blade to the boy's chest and pushed. He watched, without emotion, as the blade easily slid through the blond's torso, just below where the ribs met, and pulled the sword free. Shock had kept the boy from crying out, even after Sephiroth followed the stab with an upward diagonal slash. The boy fell to the side, his breathing now quick and shallow.

Sephiroth turned on his heel and found his way back to Nightmare, who was calmly drinking out of a trough. He grabbed a shirt off a nearby clothesline and wiped his sword, the impossibly long Masamune, clean and carelessly threw the shirt aside before strapping the Masamune back onto the saddle. The silver haired warrior climbed onto his horse and started away from the inferno. He let a smirk appear on his face as he thought about how he had the foresight to purchase more supplies before completely destroying the town. Sephiroth knew his mother had lied about the plague that was supposed to be developing, as there had not been any sick people, a number of injured or dying from injuries, but none had been sick and he honestly did not care why his mother had wanted this particular farming town destroyed. It had been a long time since he had questioned his mother's motives.

**So, what do you think? How did I do with the Nibelheim scene? Anything I need to change or improve throughout the chapter? Please tell me so I can continue to deliver and live up to my ego. By the way, don't worry. Cloud won't be killed off, he is kind of a central character in this but you will have to wait and see what happens to him. Next chapter we will start to be introduced to the Kingdom and people of Cocoon. Be honest, who is excited for that?**

**For those of you who may be curious, Kunsel is Zack's friend from Crisis Core, Zangan is the one who taught Tifa martial arts in FF7, and Sakura is an OC that was created by Raven the Blood witch, who politely asked me to use her character. Sakura will appear more in the story a bit later on.**

**Oh yeah, I will explain what the Cetra are in this universe later.**

**Side note: this update took a long while to appear because I was on vacation for a while and ****then some really nasty stuff happened (not to me so don't worry) but now I'm back and writing again.**


	4. Act 1 Part 3

**Sorry for taking so long. I lost my creativeness and my drive to write for a while.**

**We are taking a step back in time for part of this chapter**

A lone knight made his way through the clean white halls. His white armored boots clanging off the marble floor of the palace as he sprinted towards the stables, to where the king wanted to meet him. The knight's long platinum-blond hair swayed as he ran through the halls and he wondered why the King of Cocoon had called for him so late. It was not the first time the king had done this but he had sounded very urgent.

When the knight opened the doors to the stables, he saw the king finishing up with saddling a large white warhorse and the king turned at the noise of the knight entering. The knight watched the kings hand fly to his sword and draw it halfway before realizing who had entered, then slid the sword back into the sheath. The king walked up to the knight and wrapped his arms around him in a friendly embrace.

"Odin, my non-blood brother," The king greeted "I knew I could count on you."

"My liege, if I may," Odin began "What is so urgent? And why must we meet at the moon's apex?"

The king turned away from the knight and retrieved a bundle of cloth from the nearby bench meant for all the tools needed for grooming the horses. Odin thought the way the king was holding the bundle was odd at first but when the king handed him the bundle, Odin instantly knew why the king had been holding it that way.

"My liege!"

"Odin! You must take her away from here, by order of Eden!" the king sounded desperate, even fearful, to Odin.

"If I may, sire, why? Eden Hall is as much her home as it yours. Even if the fal'Cie Eden says otherwise, my lord."

"She is the Storm-Child," Odin's jaw dropped from surprise.

"Are you-"

"The mark is on her chest. Take a look for yourself."

Odin did as the king suggested and started to unwrap the small child, being careful not to wake her. The baby's pink hair spilled out of the cloth as it came loose, Odin noted the odd color must be from the king's vibrant red hair and the queen's, Odin's sister, platinum-blond hair. When he pulled the cloth away from the infant's chest he saw the black arrows and red eye of the l'Cie mark, the mark of magic, in the center of the baby's chest but cutting through the mark was a white lightning bolt, the mark of the fabled Storm-Child. The mark was even more developed than Odin's and the knight was considered one of the more powerful mages within Cocoon, he knew the infant princess would become very powerful later in life.

"Sire..." The king stepped forward and placed a hand on the concerned knight's shoulder plate.

"Go to the Guardians outpost just outside of Eden City. Trade your armor and weapon in for officers equipment then go straight to Bodhum. Raise her as your own, to be a warrior and leader because she is our only hope against The Formless One and its servants."

"Raise her as my own? Sire, she is your heir and I am just one of your honor guards, I have no place."

"Odin, please don't do this. She is your niece and every moment she is here, her life, and the entire world is in danger," the king could tell the knight was in a severe struggle with his loyalty and the laws of Cocoon. Finally the knight made eye contact with the king and nodded to accept the mission and then wrapped the cloth back around the pink haired baby girl.

"What will happen to Eidolon squad, sire? Won't they ask where I, their leader, has vanished too?"

"Worry not about the honor guards, Odin. Brynhildr is ready to accept the role of their leader."

"Very well, sire. All I ask is for Zantetsuken and my armor to be brought back here so I may return to my position in Eidolon squad in the future," the king nodded to accept Odin's request and the knight climbed up onto the warhorse.

"There should be enough supplies in your packs to last you until Bodhum. There is also more than enough gil to get yourself settled. Do not let anyone find out who you are, find out you have her, or see the mark. May the goddesses watch over you, Odin."

"And may they protect you, sire," Odin replied before kicking the horse to get moving. The last he saw of the king was a look of relief on his red framed face.

When Odin reached the Guardians outpost, he did as the king said and dismounted the horse to head inside. Thankfully being part of Eidolon squad kept all the soldiers in the outpost from asking questions about why he was there or why he wanted officers armor. The armor was mostly blue with gold trim, there was some black mainly on the under arm or the sides of the ribs, there were spikes on the elbows, and a high collar to protect the neck of the wearer the helmet had horns and a plume with white strands coming out of it and no face covering, unlike his other helmet. The armor also had a gold colored cape and a white skirt, more or less. Odin also grabbed a blue kite shield and an officers sword on his way out, making sure to keep his face and the small child hidden.*****

The first morning after leaving Eden City, Odin reached down into one pack to retrieve some food for the baby girl. What he found first was a letter with a wax seal. His name was scrawled above the wax seal and he recognized his sister's writing. Promptly breaking the seal with both hands, careful not to wake the infant princess, he flipped the letter open and read it carefully.

_Odin, my dear brother._

_Please keep a close eye on my dear Claire. She may be less than a year, but she is already learning to walk and speak. She doesn't cry much and has a beautiful smile, she really is an angel handed to us from the goddesses. You do not know how much it wounds me to know that she can't stay in Eden with her family but I can rest easy knowing you will be raising her. I apologize for placing this responsibility on your shoulders but I know you will be an excellent father to my Claire. When the time is right, you will be given a hero's welcome home._

_And don't forget her birthday!_

_You loving sister, Queen Averia._

A slight tug on his hair pulled Odin's attention away from the letter. He assumed his hair was caught in his helmet but when he looked, he saw a tiny fist wrapped around a lock of his platinum-blond hair. When he saw the bright blue eyes and the smile on the girls face he could not help but smile himself, he was also surprised the girl had been able to somewhat unwrap herself from the cloth without him noticing.

"Aren't you a sneaky one," Odin muttered as he pried the infants hand off his hair.

Several days later, Odin was riding through Palumpolum. It was a lakeside city and the main trading hub of Cocoon, other than Eden City. It was more or less, in the center of Nautilus, Bodhum, and Bresha, the three fishing cities but Nautilus and Bodhum also traded with merchants from the Pulsian territories. Odin did not know much about the current state of the Pulsian territories but he did know that two small kingdoms had emerged in the last two centuries, Paddra and Dalmasca. The two young kingdoms were unfortunately stuck between Cocoon and the Gaian Empire. Odin unintentionally made a disgusted face at the thought of the Gaian Empire, an empire full of misguided traitors to the goddesses.

As the knight entered the market square of Palumpolum, he made sure to cradle the child in the crook of his left arm, behind the shield. Even though not one person gave him a second glance, he was still very cautious. Deciding to gather some information on the roads to Bodhum, Odin dismounted his horse, tied its reins to post that had plenty of Guardian troops nearby, and started to look for someone that seemed like they traveled often.

He wandered aimlessly through the market square for several minutes, keeping the infant girl safely behind the borrowed kite shield. He rounded the corner of one of the many stalls and bumped into a young woman who had been carrying a basket of produce, which undoubtedly spilled everywhere.

"Oh!, I'm sorry, sir. Didn't see you there," the young woman said quickly as she stooped to begin gathering the spilled produce.

"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," Odin replied quickly as he bent down to help the young woman, slowly because of the infant princess in the crook of his arm.

Just as they finished gathering the produce, a young man appeared at the woman's side. Odin took a moment to examine the young couple. The young woman had platinum blond hair, like Odin, and dazzling green eyes. The young man on the other hand had blond hair, spectacles, and looked to be very kind. He leaned over and pulled the young woman into a hug before speaking to her.

"Are you alright, Nora?"

"I'm fine, Bart. Just bumped into this officer. Again, I'm sorry, sir."

"Please, don't worry about it. It was entirely my fault," Odin replied with slight embarrassment. As he spoke an thought crossed his mind "Would either of you happen to know the condition of the roads between here and Bodhum?" The young couple looked to each other with a concerned look before replying.

"The roads are fine but Bodhum, on the other hand, is infested with bandits." Bart said to Odin.

"What? Why haven't the Guardians done anything?"

"I've heard most of the officers are either paid off or killed by the bandits," Nora whispered. Odin felt his temper instantly flare at the thought of Guardian officers being paid off by bandits.

"Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I must be on my way now, may the goddesses watch over you," Odin said with a slight nod.

"And may they protect you, sir," The couple said together.

Odin traveled back through the market place, purchasing some supplies to continue onward to Bodhum. One of the items was a bow and two dozen arrows. The knight knew he was not as skilled with either the sword or bow as much as he was with Zantetsuken or magic but he had to keep his identity a secret. After climbing back onto his horse, he quickly but carefully left Palumpolum.

For the next three days, Odin was angry at the king for sending him to a city filled with bandits and corrupt knights. He could not understand why the king thought the Storm-Child would be safe there or if he would even be safe there. But clarity hit Odin suddenly and out of the blue one morning. He was supposed to teach Princess Claire how to lead, fight, and place justice above all. That was the only logical reason Odin could see for being sent to a bandit controlled city.

When Odin finally entered the seaside city of Bodhum, he was disgusted. The streets were covered in ankle deep filth, the buildings were dirty and dilapidated, and there were numerous bandits seemingly patrolling the streets. The way they looked at Odin would have unnerved him if he was not the former leader of the Eidolon Squad. His combat and magic skills made him capable of fighting a near battalion of soldiers at once, and emerging victorious. The knight proceeded straight to the Guardian barracks of Bodhum to join their ranks.

As Odin made his way through the front gates of the Guardians Barracks, he was approached by a young recruit. The knight looked over the young soldier quickly, taking in his strong build, dark hair, and relaxed posture. With a nod, Odin motioned the soldier to lead him to the Commander of the Bodhum regiment and they made small talk on the way. When they reached the Commander's office the young soldier knocked on the door and a moment later it opened to reveal a tall blond man with blue eyes and heavy plate mail armor.

"Commander Villiers, this is the transfer officer from Eden City," the young soldier stated with a salute.

"Thank you Private Amodar. You may return to your post," The tall blond's voice was deep and friendly. At that moment, Odin was convinced that the Commander of the Bodhum Guardian Regiment was not the one responsible for the bandits ruling the city. The Commander returned to his desk before speaking again "So you are Lieutenant Cecil Harvey?"******

"Yes sir, Commander Villiers."

"What are you hiding behind your shield, Lieutenant?" Odin reluctantly moved his arm so the Commander could see the infant princess, who looked up at them with her sky blue eyes and a slight smile. The Commander chuckled lightly "She looks to be about the same age as my son. Tell me Lieutenant, what do you hope to accomplish while you are here?"

"I wasn't sure of that until I arrived, sir."

"Oh?"

"I want to clean this city. Push out the bandit presence and restore the peace granted to us by the goddesses," Odin knew that if his hunch about the Commander was wrong, he would not make it out of the barracks. The tall Commander stood up, walked over to Odin, placed a hand on his shoulder, and spoke quietly.

"Welcome to the resistance, Lieutenant Harvey. I will have Private Amodar introduce you to the other members later."

"If I may, sir," Odin started, also quietly "Who is the enemy here?"

"A Pulsian warlord."

"What?" Odin almost shouted "These bandits are from the wilds?"

"Yes, they were smuggled into the city on merchant ships from Paddra," Commander Villiers' tone was full of regret.

"Well do we know anything about who is leading them?"

"The warlord is a shaman from the Dia clan."

***The Warrior of Light's armor from Dissidia. With the exception of shorter horns.**

****Cecil Harvey is the name of the main character from Final Fantasy 3. He is a Paladin/Dark knight which is also a reference to Twilight Odin from Final Fantasy 13-2.**

**So how was that? I know its a bit short but the next chapter should be like, double the length of this one. Funny thing is, I only had the beginning of this chapter planned, everything after Odin leaving Eden City was made up on the spot.**

**And just to clear up something: Eden is the fal'Cie, Eden City is the city that is the capitol of Cocoon (Thanks for stating the obvious AbyssKeeper), and Eden Hall is the castle that is the home of the royal family.**

**Please leave a review.**


	5. Act 1 Part 4

**I know I said that this would be like double the length of the previous chapter, but to be honest, it would have been longer and confusing if I put in the Gaia half of it. **

Cecil Harvey, former leader of the Eidolon's, the personal guard of the royal family, walked proudly through the halls of the Bodhum Guardians Barracks. He glanced through a window and spotted lieutenant Amodar, who had been a private when Cecil had first come to Bodhum, training a new group of recruits. The platinum-blond haired knight walked into his office and immediately over to a table by the window overlooking the training field. On the table rested an old helmet and large battle ax, items that once belong to Commander Villiers. Cecil lifted the helmet and fixated his gaze on the steel piece of armor.

It was still hard for him to believe it had already been twenty years, almost to the day, since the day he first met Commander Villiers. And eighteen years since the two of them, along with a squad of knights, had defeated the Pulsian warlord-shaman that was oppressing Bodhum. As he gazed into the helmet, the memory of that day came to him with perfect clarity.

* * *

**Eighteen Years Ago, Pulsian Ruins**

It had taken some time but they had finally reached the base of the shaman that was leading the legion of bandits in Bodhum. The base turned out to be an ancient ruin, a ruined fortress that had belong to the Gaian Empire, once upon a time. The team of Cecil, Commander Villiers, Private Amodar, and a dozen other knights had to fight their way through a battalion of bandits but had little difficulty due to their military training and coordination.

When they reached the innermost chamber of the dungeons in the fortress' depths, they were all surprised. Even though five of the knights were women, they were all stunned to learn the Pulsian warlord was a woman. She was a redhead with long flowing hair, a very elegant orange, red, and yellow dress which had belong to a noble of Cocoon, strings of beads draped over her arms and shoulders, and dazzling green eyes. Just behind her, stood a monstrous beast. It had a female humanoid form, bright redish-orange hair that bore a resemblance to a mane, which continued into a massive plume of ball tipped hair spines, black skin, countless symbols over the skin, and a tail with six tips. As fear-inducing as the beast was, it was only six feet tall, when not including the spines.

"So the Bodhum resistance fighters have found us," the shaman stated as if it were unimportant. She reached up and started to scratch the beast's head, the beast leaned into the touch and seemed to purr "Dinner time, Ragnarok," the shaman said with a cruel tone and a smirk.

Ragnarok and the knights charged at each other, when they met, Ragnarok tore through the first two shields and easily mauled the knights faces. They were both dead before they hit the ground. The other knights, that carried them, quickly discarded the heavy steel shields as they would only make them more vulnerable to the creature. Commander Villiers tossed his helmet aside and stepped forward to engage in combat with Ragnarok, Cecil quickly joined him. The two were the most experienced and the best fighters of the group but the beast was still a great challenge to them. It moved unnaturally fast and it's hide was impossibly tough, every slash harmlessly glanced off it's body and every attack it threw was avoided by the knights. Cecil was always surprised by how fast Commander Villiers could move because of his size and how heavy his thick armor must be.

The beast swung a clawed hand at Cecil, he easily dodged the attack by ducking low, but the creatures tail caught the side of his head, knocking him onto his back. The platinum-blond stood up shakily, his head spinning from the impact and saw the Commander blocking attacks from the beast with his forearms, which were bleeding profusely, undoubtedly cut to the bone. Ragnarok leaned in and bit down onto the Commander's neck, Cecil called out for him, grabbing the beasts attention. For a moment they stared at each other, Cecil believed he had sounded like a threat to the monster currently biting into the commander's neck but it saw that Cecil was unsteady on his feet and dropped the Commander. It lumbered over and swiped Cecil, he tried to jump out of the attack range but his breastplate was shredded. He lost his footing upon landing and toppled to the floor, in less than a second the beast was on top of him, its hands on his shoulders.

Ragnarok studied the face of the knight under her hands and the knight's eyes widened when he saw he was looking into a human face. The beast smiled and licked its lips before promptly biting into his flesh, where his neck met his shoulders. Cecil howled in pain and tried to push, beat, and shake the beast off of himself but it was far too strong and had an excellent hold on him. He figured out that the beast just wanted to hurt him, which is why it had only bit him. Then they, Cecil and Ragnarok, heard the shaman cry out. Ragnarok immediately released Cecil and ran like an animal over the shaman. He watched it tear a knights head off his shoulders and use her tail to knock another knight out cold. The shaman had a growing red spot on her dress but she still stood tall and proud, Ragnarok stood slightly in front of the shaman, growling and roaring at the remaining knights.

"You may have won," the shaman coughed up some blood "But we will return, and Cocoon will burn!" As she shouted the last word, her magic erupted around her and Ragnarok, making them both vanish and the walls start to tremble.

Two knights ran to the Commander, one to Cecil, and Amodar grabbed the Commander's helmet and ax. The group just made it out as most of the ruins collapsed, leaving just fragments of the outer walls. Commander Villiers was sat next to a tree, which he leaned on. The five knights surrounding him knew that from the level of blood loss, knew he only had a minute or two left.

"Cecil," Villiers struggled to say "I name you commander of the Bodhum Guardians," Villiers took several deep breaths before continuing "Cecil, a year ago, my wife left with my son. Please... Find him..." With that said, he stopped breathing and passed away.

"I promise to find your son, Commander Villiers" Cecil replied quietly. The five knights buried the former Commander deep in the nearby Pulsian forest said a prayer to the goddesses and returned home.

As the new commander of the Bodhum division of the Guardians, Cecil spent the next eighteen years raising and training Princess Claire, cleaning up Bodhum, and searching for the Villiers'. Sadly, Cecil did not locate Snow Villiers until he was seventeen years of age.

* * *

Cecil returned to reality and placed the helmet back on the table just as he heard someone marching down the hall towards his office. The door opened quickly to reveal a pink haired woman, clad in a custom set of armor, who snapped a quick salute and deep bow before pulling out a knife from her left greave and placing on Cecil's desk. He recognized the knife as the one a rather notorious bandit gang leader used to wield. Smirking at the thought, he put on a serious expression before looking back at the woman.

"Excellent job, Lieutenant Harvey. Report?" Cecil said in his most official tone.

"Just one casualty, Commander. Sergeant Garen."

"Goddesses be with him," Cecil commented "Seeing as to who you were up against, that's astounding news, Claire," Cecil let a smile appear on his face, which made Claire smile in return.

He was always happy to see Claire. The infant princess had grown into a strong leader and his best fighter. She was second only to Cecil himself, simply because he had taught her to fight. He had been accused, many times, of favoring Claire because she was daughter but that was far from the truth. Since Claire was 'his' daughter, he was hardest on her. Always pushing her to do more and a much better job than her comrades and being far more harsh in her training. He always expected her to outperform the other members of the Guardians For many years, Claire absolutely hated Cecil but when she became more mature, she realized that her 'father' wanted her to be strong, independent, and self reliant. Now she was the fastest, deadliest, smartest, and highest ranked of all those under Cecil's command.

"Thank you, father," Claire replied with her soft smile, something only Cecil ever got to see. Before either of them could say another word, a young knight entered the office.

"Commander Harvey, an emissary from Eden City is requesting your presence. They are waiting in the courtyard," the young knight said as he snapped a salute.

"Thank you private, you are excused," the young knight saluted again before turning on his heel and leaving "Lieutenant," Cecil said while motioning to the door, inviting Claire to lead to the courtyard.

As the duo entered the courtyard, they immediately spotted the emissary. They were a woman in elegant red and black armor with hip high, high heeled greaves, an open faced tri-horned helmet that allowed some of the woman's jet black hair to spill out. She held a vicious looking double bladed scythe at her side, her hand is positioned just below the blades, keeping the shaft parallel to the ground. It had been twenty years, but Cecil instantly recognized the woman and kept a stoic expression and he knew for a fact that the woman had recognized him and was doing the same.

"Commander Harvey," Cecil stated as he extended his right hand to greet the woman.

"Brynhildr, of the Eidolons," The woman replied, grasping his forearm in the standard greeting fashion "And this is?" she asked with a light nod towards Claire.

"Lieutenant Harvey, ma'am."

"I see. There are matters I must discuss with you in private, Commander."

"Very well, allow me to show you to my office. Lieutenant, I trust you can find a purpose to fulfill," Cecil said to Claire.

"Yes, sir," Claire responded with a salute and marched off in a seemingly random direction.

Cecil and Brynhildr walked casually to Cecil's office and he shut the door quickly but quietly. Brynhildr took a quick look around at the office and stood her scythe against the wall near the table with the helmet and ax. As soon as they were facing each other again, they embraced in a friendly manner.

"It is great to see you again, Cecil," The armor clad woman said cheerfully.

"Likewise, Maria," Cecil replied, equally as cheerful, as they separated "How have you been these last two decades?"

"There have been happy times, the greatest ones being the birth of Shiva's daughters and my son," Maria had trouble keeping the wide grin off her face.

"It's wonderful to hear you and Sazh were blessed by Minerva. How old is he?"

"Young Dajh is ten years now."

"And Shiva had daughters? How old are they?"

"Twins, in fact. Nineteen years of age. Stiria and Nix."

Cecil decided to finally ask the question that was bugging him "Why did you introduce yourself as Bryhildr? I thought you would have been granted the title of Odin after I left."

"I had to renounce the title so I could take care of Dajh while he was a babe," Odin noticed the change in Maria's demeanor to a more sullen one.

"What's wrong, Maria?"

"So that was the Storm-Child? You've done a wonderful job raising her."

"Maria," Cecil replied in his commanding tone, he knew she wouldn't pull rank to shut him up. Even if it had been two decades, their friendship surpassed their ranks.

"King Farron died when I left to birth and care for my son. As did Shiva."

"What? How?"

"No one knows. Now Shiva's daughters have taken her place and Primarch Dysley has taken the throne. He named his knight, Garland, the new Odin."

"How could he? What about Queen Averia, my sister?" Cecil felt like the world had just been flipped on its head and let his gaze fall to the floor.

"No one has seen her in years. Not even Alexander."

"I just hope she is alright."

"We all do, Odin," Cecil looked up to Maria's face and saw a proud smile on her, he couldn't help but smile himself.

"You could get in trouble by calling me that."

"You will always be Odin to me and Alexander, Cecil. And no matter what happens, or the social status, you can always count on Alexander, the Shiva's and myself to follow you."

"Thank you, Brynhildr."

* * *

Claire aimlessly wandered through the Guardians fortress, making sure she looked like she was going somewhere with purpose. She enjoyed the few times she got a break from her duties, even if she was slacking off at the moment, something she was sure her father knew but could not confront her about because he had no proof. As she passed by the entrance hall for the second time, she heard a ruckus and decided to check it out. Just as she opened the door an officer was on the other side and looked startled that there was already someone opening the door.

"Lieutenant Harvey," the officer pulled a quick salute "Where is Commander Harvey?"

"Meeting with an Eden City emissary. What is it you need?" Claire was glad that she was allowed to take charge if her father was busy with a more important task. The perks of being the second in command.

"We arrested a Gaian mercenary."

"What?" Claire almost shouted out of surprise. Not one Gaian had set foot in Cocoon for centuries and now a mercenary was in Bodhum "Take me to them."

When Claire saw the Gaian, she was a little disappointed. It was obviously a male, no taller than her, he wore a simple looking steel helmet, black clothes, gauntlets, pauldrons, boots with a steel shinguard, and shackles on his wrists along with chains intricately tied around his forearms. The officer pointed out his weapon and that amazed Claire, it was a few inches short of her shoulder span and about half a foot shorter than her. He must be at least twice as strong as any Cocoon soldier to even lift the weapon.

"Who are you?" Claire commanded but the Gaian stayed silent "How did you get into Cocoon?" Again, silence from the Gaian "Why are you here?" Yet again, he didn't say anything.

Claire marched up to him and pulled off his helmet, revealing his blond, spiky hair, and his shining blue eyes. His were fascinating to Claire, simply because it seemed like they were glowing, something she had never seen or even heard of before. She quickly backhanded him, her gauntlet split his lip but he did not make a noise. He just slowly turned his head back and kept staring at Claire. She pulled her sword free and held it to his throat.

"Why are you in Cocoon?"

"To find anyone that will help me kill General Sephiroth," He said calmly.

**So I've been thinking of what a better title for this story could be. I was thinking of going with The Final Fantasy, since I plan on only using and referencing the FF's I have knowledge about. And after a long consideration, the title is changing to that with the upload of the next chapter.**

**Please leave a review. Let me know what you think and if there is an error.**


	6. Act 2 Part 1

**I know said there was a Gaia half of the last chapter, and there was, but I lost that file and I completely forgot what I had planned for that chapter. So instead we're just gonna move on into the actual story. Enjoy.**

**Act II: **_Tensions_

_There is no hate, only joy_

_For you are beloved by the goddess_

_Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds_

_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul_

_Pride is lost_

_Wings stripped away, the end is nigh_

The emperor of the Gaian nation stood leaning onto the stone railing and looked out into the city of Midgar, the capitol of the empire. Gaia stood as a testament to man and the combined efforts of countless people not burdened by fal'Cie will or the words of the goddesses that abandoned them. True, the empire was far from perfect but it was in the flaws where the true strength came from. Without the aid of the fal'Cie or goddesses, the people of Gaia grew strong and would willingly fight a king behemoth or even a dragon by themselves to defend whatever they had, be it vast riches or a patch of dirt with their name on it.

Genesis Rhapsodos, one of the youngest of his dynasty to take the throne, smiled with pride in his fellow man as he gazed upon his capitol city, upon his home. He turned and went back inside the Citadel and casually strode to the Shinra quarter of the Citadel. The adviser had told the emperor that his scholars had developed something amazing. When he arrived, he calmly followed his adviser further into the quarter and he saw the structure in the courtyard as they entered.

"My liege," a man with black hair tied pulled into a ponytail and a face Genesis could only describe as crooked said as he made a deep bow "I am scholar Hojo, the head of this endeavor," he saw the emperor's confused look and started to elaborate "This project has been underway for many generations but we have finally succeeded with the help of High Priestess Jenova."

"And what exactly have you succeeded with?" Genesis asked the scholar.

"We have created a fal'Cie. Or... Well... something like it at least," Genesis felt a large smile grow on his face at the scholar's words.

"Has it been tested?" the emperor asked, not taking his eyes off of the structure. He could see a glowing blue-green liquid through what seemed to be a window.

"Yes, but not many-"

"Use it on me," Genesis commanded.

"My liege, many don't sur-"

"I don't recall asking for your thoughts, Hojo. Just do as commanded."

Genesis watched, with little interest, as Hojo and the other scholars started to work around the structure. They asked him to stand in a specific place and he complied. He couldn't help but feel a bit excited and terrified, as he would be one of the first people of Gaia to be blessed with the power of the l'Cie in centuries and Hojo was clearly trying to tell him not many people had survived the tests. The Emperor assumed it was because the structure worked the same as a fal'Cie, to a point, and only certain people were able to have the power of a l'Cie. When the artificial fal'Cie was activated, the blue-green liquid, poured out of the window and onto the emperor. Not one drop of it hit the ground as it was absorbed into the Emperor's body and the flow of the liquid was ceased.

He felt a rush of power through his veins, could feel his muscles contracting and relaxing rapidly, then a burning sensation. The sensation quickly transformed into the feeling of being entirely engulfed in flame but Genesis refused to cry out at the feeling of being immolated. He lost the struggle against himself and felt a cry of agony tear its way out of his throat and a moment later, everyone else in the courtyard was witness to the sight of a pillar of fire erupting from the ground around the Emperor. The heat was so intense that they all had to either back up several paces or stand behind something. Little more than half a minute passed before the fire vanished leaving the unconscious Emperor in the middle of the scorched area, completely unscathed.

"It worked..." one scholar could be heard whispering.

"It worked!" another shouted.

"Interesting..." Hojo said quietly as he stared down at the Emperor, a smirk growing on his face.

Moments later, two of the Tsviets burst through the door to the courtyard and immediately spotted the unconscious Emperor. The Tsviet with long, spiky, platinum blond hair, no shirt, and two swords at his waist, marched up to Adviser Shinra and Scholar Hojo while his brother lifted the Emperor on to his shoulder.

"What have you done?" The shirtless Tsviet shouted at them, his hands finding the hilts of his swords.

"The Emperor is fine, better than fine, in fact. He wanted me to use this artificial fal'Cie on him," Hojo calmly replied.

"You both are lucky he doesn't want me using my blades on you," the Tsviet replied, venom dripping from his tone.

"Calm yourself, Weiss," The other Tsviet said in his smooth emotionless voice. Weiss turned to his brother, who had long black hair, leather armor, and no weapon. He was highly skilled with magic granted to him by The Formless One.

"Nero," Weiss said back, clearly irritated he still had no reason to skewer Hojo or Shinra "Very well. Let's take Emperor Rhapsodos back to his chambers."

As the duo left, with the Emperor over Nero's shoulder, Weiss quickly threw an ice cold glare at the dark haired scholar and blond adviser. They took the unconscious body up to his room and laid him on his impressive bed and left without a word. Weiss, the leader of the Tsviets, commanded Rosso to remain within the Emperor's chambers and keep a close eye on him.

Genesis awoke almost exactly forty-eight hours later. Without opening his eyes, he rolled onto his side and was greeted by the scent of a flower he recognized but did not know the name of, and an almost undetectable hint of blood. His instincts kicked into overdrive as he tracked the origin of the scent as best he could with minimal movement, his bed shifted ever so slightly as if someone was adjusting their position. In an instant, his hand raced into his coat, pulled his small knife, with a serrated edge, and he had the unknown person pinned below him with his knife at their throat. As the red faded from his vision, he saw Rosso calmly lying beneath him.

"Good to know your reflexes are unhindered, my liege.

"I apologize, Rosso," Genesis replied as he replaced the knife inside his coat and climbed off her and the bed "No amount of perfume can cover the scent of blood."

"I'm flattered you took the time to analyze my scent," The woman replied with a smile as she rose to answer the knocking at the door. She exaggerated the sway of her hips, knowing the Emperor was watching her cross the room to the door.

When the door was opened, it revealed another member of the Tsviets. The literal mountain of a man stood with a slight stoop that was present in every member of his kind. His messy blue hair cascaded down to the middle of the titan's back, his ears were pointed, and his were black but the iris was yellow. He wore plain clothes and no armor simply because of his enormous size and height of nine feet, five inches. That man greatly reminded Genesis of the Pulsian Behemoths and knew that the blue haired man was just as strong as one. In fact, Genesis had once seen the giant take three arrows to the chest and later pull them out as if they had been insect stingers. Genesis had asked his father where men like the giant came from and his father had only ever said they came from somewhere deep within the Pulsian wilds.

The Emperor knew that when the Gaian Empire had encompassed most of the known world, the giant's tribe had been enslaved by the empire. But that was centuries ago and the giants had all but disappeared from Gaia. Genesis was certain the massive Tsviet was the last of his people within the empire.

"My liege," the giant said respectfully "You are needed at the throne."

"Thank you, Azul," Genesis replied and started towards the throne. Azul and Rosso fell into step just behind him.

Genesis threw the doors of the throne room open, adding much unnecessary emphasis to his arrival. He spotted Weiss and Nero standing by throne, which currently held Shelke, and a group of ten soldiers wearing unusual armor and bearing an unfamiliar emblem. As Genesis walked up to them, they each gave a deep bow and performed no other action.

"Where do you soldiers hail from?" Genesis asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Dalmasca, Emperor Rhapsodos," The apparent leader of the group replied.

"Never heard of it," the Emperor replied quickly.

"We are a small nation in the Pulsian Wilds," Genesis nodded at the soldier's words "Our queen, Lady Ashe, requests a chance to forge a treaty with your great empire. We will escort an Ambassador back to Rabanastre and ensure they return unharmed."

"How can I trust your word?" Genesis replied, placing his hand on the hilt of his rapier.

"Lady Ashe has sent envoys to Cocoon and the other two kingdoms of Pulse. We hold no loyalty to the goddesses or the Formless One. Lady Ashe only wishes to see all nations come together in peace and work towards a great and shining future," the foreign soldier spoke with a smile on his face while Genesis looked to the Tsviets and his sister.

"Sire," Rosso said loud enough for only Genesis to hear "If they manage to unite all other nations, we will be greatly outnumbered."

"I see the strategy hidden behind your queen's words," Genesis said to the soldier, who reacted as if he had been struck "By asking both Gaia and Cocoon for an alliance, you force us both to participate in these dealings and one of us to agree in hopes to overpower the other. Very well, I will attend," his words surprised the Tsviets "Nero, Weiss, retrieve General Sephiroth and Chairman Hewley, they will be going with us."

The two Tsviets saluted before rushing off to find Genesis' friends. The emperor was amused, he was going to be the Gaian ruler to possibly end the conflict between his empire and Cocoon. His actions were going to be remembered for centuries to come.

* * *

Claire watched the Gaian get escorted towards the dungeon and two men carrying his weapon to the armory. The sheer size of the sword continued to astound the soldier woman but she was also thinking about how to properly word her report on the event. Not to mention how easily the Gaian had let them arrest him, seeing as how the Gaians had a centuries old reputation for unrivaled aggressiveness. As the pink haired woman turned to report to her father, she spotted him and Brynhildr walking towards her. Claire made a deep bow to Brynhildr when the duo were in front of her.

"Commander Harvey," Claire started to say, but Cecil raised his hand to silence her.

"Brynhildr has informed me that King Dysley and Princess Serah will be be using Bodhum to cross to Pulse before heading to Dalmasca for a summit of leaders. We must ensure Bodhum is secure, so do me a favor and go tell Snow and his friends to stay out of trouble. The royal party will be here tomorrow so we have no time to waste," Cecil said to his adopted daughter.

"Sir!" Claire replied with a salute before turning and almost sprinting out of the barracks.

Cecil was still reeling from one piece of news his friend with the title of Brynhildr had told him. He had another niece and Claire had a younger sister. Maria had told him that three years after he left with Claire, his sister had another child with King Farron because they both really wanted a child. The former Eidolon had to think of an excuse to get Claire to wear a helmet while the royal party was in Bodhum, otherwise the resemblance between Claire and Serah would be impossible to deny.

Just on schedule, the royal party arrived the next day. Cecil was surprised, to say the least, when he saw them. The Eidolons were each riding chocobos, except Alexander, which was perfectly normal; the royal carriage is what amazed Cecil, as well as every other citizen of Bodhum. It was a large vehicle that was not pulled by chocobos, somehow moving on its own, and was making a deep but quite humming as its large wheels rolled over the brick road. The Eidolon group and vehicle stopped in the city square, where part of the Bodhum Guardian Battalion was standing ready.

Claire quickly looked over Eidolon squad, despite her vision being partially obscured by her helmet. The biggest of the squad was a giant of a man, easily standing at over nine feet, that was wearing heavy platemail, making him look like a walking fortress. Another was wearing heavy platemail with a helmet that had horns stretching to the sides, no further than his shoulders, a light purple cape that could easily wrap around him, and a massive sword, even bigger than the Gaian's. His armor completely hid what the man actually looked like, making Claire instantly dislike him. The last two of the squad had similar armor sets, scarce light armor over tight leather and elegant headdresses. They were obviously twins but one had pale skin while the other was more tan.

Doors on the sides of the strange vehicle opened and a woman with very long blond hair, wearing a green and white dress with gold accents, stepped out. She looked around before looking to the man with the massive sword who gave her a light nod. She nodded to someone in the vehicle then out stepped a man dressed in white, purple, and yellow robes, a tall staff in hand, and the Cocoon crown atop his head. Claire heard the armor on her father's arm clink as his arm tensed, she briefly wondered why that happened. After King Dysley left the vehicle, a girl with long pink hair, an elegant flowing light blue dress, and a white cat in her arms, stepped out. Out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw Snow looking between two Guardians that were helping to block one of the side streets.

Brynhildr walked forward to the group and bowed deeply to the King. He reached out the hand not on the staff and Brynhildr placed a small kiss on the ring around his index finger. She stood tall and proud before speaking.

"Bodhum is secure and the ship you requested is in the port awaiting departure."

"Who is the captain of the vessel?" the King asked. Something about him made Claire's skin crawl.

"Sazh Katzroy," Brynhildr answered "My husband, sire," She hesitantly added. To everyone else, it appeared that she was just slightly embarrassed to say that to the King, but to Cecil, it was a tone that said she was nervous about her husband's safety around the King.

"Very well. Let us depart immediately," Dysley spoke to the Eidolons mostly. Cecil stepped forward and bowed as deeply as his armor would allow.

"Sire, if I may," Cecil said in the most respectful tone Claire had ever heard "I request my daughter and I to accompany your party. I want to prove my worth to the goddesses by protecting your eminence and her highness, even if I must lay down my life to protect those of Eidolon Squad, I will not falter."

"Who is that man?" Dysley asked Brynhildr.

"Commander Harvey, of the Bodhum Guardians, sire. He is the greatest warrior among them," Brynhildr answered without emotion. She was technically speaking of a middle class citizen while she herself was a high ranking noble.

"And your daughter?" Dysley asked Cecil, clearly skeptical that his daughter was anything special.

"Lieutenant Harvey," Cecil said over his shoulder, Claire walked forward and also bowed "She is my second in command and a fierce fighter that only I can best. You may accuse me of favoritism, sire, but I assure you that she had to work much harder than any other recruit to even earn her sword."

"Very well, bring detachment of soldiers as well."

"Lieutenant," Cecil commanded Claire.

She knew it was up to her to gather the soldiers but as she was about to depart, she noticed the Princess staring at her. Not scrutinizing as Dysley had been, but studying. It still unnerved Claire greatly, but not nearly as much as when Dysley had been staring at her. The Princess had a look of wonder while the King had a look Claire had received many times before from all manner of men she had great dislike for. A look that said they hated her but they wanted to bed her. Claire felt herself smirk at that.

The first time a man had made an inappropriate comment to Claire, something along the lines of making her scream his name, Cecil had also been there. The man was little more than a bandit, as the city had still been full of them at the time, so Cecil asked the man what his main hand was and swiftly cut off the other. Almost less than a week later, at a very different location, two women had tried to seduce Claire and she had looked to her father for a rescue. Claire almost burst out laughing at Cecil. He stood there staring at the two women in disbelief, either because he had never seen that kind of thing before or he did not know what to do because he had always said that he would never lay a hand on a woman, unless she was trying to kill him. Claire never did figure out why he just stood there while two harlets tried to seduce his daughter but his expression was far too amusing to forget.

Claire pulled herself out of the past as she rounded a corner and came face to face with Snow and his group. Snow and his friend Gadot were very large men, tiny compared to the walking fortress Claire saw earlier, but big enough to be considered thugs. They looked bandits but were as far away from bandits as one could get without social status.

"Snow," Claire said calmly.

"Claire," Snow said back cheerfully.

"What do you want?" Claire asked as she crossed her arms.

"We want in. We want to be part of your detachment," Lebreau said from beside Snow. Lebreau was the only girl in Snow's group, and worked at one of the more reputable taverns, but acted like a man in almost every way.

"Sorry kids, only soldiers are permitted," Claire replied.

"Well good thing we signed up this morning," Yuj said from the other side of the group. Yuj was a mystery to Claire, he grew up on the streets like the others but was always much better dressed than them.

"I can't enlist you because of that."

"Well do you want a bunch of soldiers with unknown loyalties or soldiers with unknown loyalties and a small group of soldiers loyal to your father?" Maqui asked. The young kid was very intelligent and had a point. Snow's group may be vigilantes, but they obeyed Cecil as if his words came from the goddesses themselves.

"Fine, but you guys get into trouble, I'm denying all knowledge of you and accusing you of stowing away."

"Fair enough," Snow said with a laugh "We probably would stowaway if you didn't let us come along."

Claire knew they would have.

* * *

Cloud rested his head against the cold bricks of his cell and contemplated what happened. He was baffled by his own stupidity. He was not sure of what he thought would have happened. A man from Gaia walks into Cocoon, gets arrested by the local law enforcement, then says he was looking for allies to help him kill Gaia's greatest General and fighter. The blond shrugged and went back to studying the opposite wall.

From the corner of his vision he noticed a light. Turning to it, he indeed saw a light that was bright yellow and vaguely shaped like a person. He tried to back away from it even though it was on the other side of the bars but when the light went right through the bars, Cloud pushed himself as far into the corner as possible.

"You seek to kill Sephiroth?" the light asked. It's voice was high and seemed to echo inside Cloud's mind. The blond could only nod in response "I shall grant you your freedom. You will awaken in the Pulsian Wilds with your weapon. From there, you will find the means to kill General Sephiroth."

"Thank you," Cloud managed to choke out after much difficulty "Who are you?"

"That knowledge is unimportant."

"Why are you helping me?"

"The world is changing. Your actions will shape the fate of the world."

Before Cloud could ask another question, the light intensified until it was blinding and everything suddenly went black.

**There, it's done. Finally. The part with Cloud killed me, mostly because after writing about him being arrested, I found out that I wrote myself into a corner with Cloud, so I decided to bash my head against one of the walls until it broke.**

**Please leave a review.**


End file.
